Delhi airport installs more Rapid PCR machines | Fusion - WeRIndia

In the wake of the identification of the highly contagious Omicron variant, the central government issued new guidelines for flight travellers from other countries. As the new travel guidelines have come into force, COVID-19 testing is mandatory for international passengers arriving from at-risk countries.

According to the guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry, these passengers will have to wait for test results before leaving the airport or boarding a connecting flight. Hence, several passengers are gathering at the airport. To help these passengers with COVID-19 testing, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) updated testing capacity by installing more Rapid PCR machines.

As the number of passengers arriving from at-risk countries is increasing, authorities of the DIAL decided to install 120 Rapid PCR machines. Many passengers are pre-booking their COVID tests on arrival. They are opting for a Rapid PCR test over the regular RT-PCR. Hence, more Rapid PCR machines have been installed at the airport. Also, 20 counters are dedicated for passengers who have pre-booked their COVID tests.

Passengers arriving from at-risk countries can choose either a Rapid PCR test or a regular RT-PCR test at the Delhi airport.

While the Rapid PCR test costs ₹3,500 per passenger, it is ₹500 for a regular RT-PCR test. However, considering the time taken for the results of the Rapid PCR test, which is 60 minutes, many passengers are opting for this test over the regular RT-PCR test, which stands at five hours.

The Delhi airport authorities made seating arrangements for those waiting for their test results and expanded food counters in the waiting area. They said that they are working on facilitating faster movements of passengers at the airport with the help of immigration authorities. They added that installing more Rapid PCR machines would help manage the crowd at the airport.

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